Promotion and marketing services often work with merchants to identify promotions to offer to potential customers. By developing appropriate promotions, merchants may increase profit, a promotion and marketing service may generate revenue, and customers may find new and interesting goods and/or services at discount prices.
After offering a promotion on behalf of a merchant, the promotion and marketing service may distribute revenue to the merchant for promotions sold to customers. However, when a customer seeks a refund of a promotion, the merchant may not be owed any money for the refunded promotion. In order to account for potential refunds, the promotion and marketing service may pay merchants less than what is fully owed. If there are refunds, the promotions system reduces the outstanding amount due to the merchant by the merchant's share of the refunded revenue (or, in the case of a merchant that has already been paid the entire amount due or that has an outstanding amount due to the promotion and marketing service, the reduction is carried over into another session: the next promotion).
Applicant has identified deficiencies and problems associated with the use of these systems. As described in detail below, Applicant has solved these identified problems by developing a solution that is embodied by the present invention.